Aloe Plant Care Guide and Profile

Instructions

Soil Preference:

1. Aloe plants prefer a well draining cactus soil mix. The roots will rot quickly if they sit in moist soil.
2. A mix of cactus potting mix and perlite will keep the roots happiest.
3. Make sure your pot has drainage at the bottom. Do not use a pot with no drainage hole for this plant.
4. A heavy soil potting mix is not recommended for Aloe plants.

Pot Size and Type:

1. The Aloe Vera Plant can grow in many different kinds of pots. Most people prefer to plant these in Terra Cotta pots as it helps with moisture control.
2. Repot every second year or when roots come out the drainage holes on the pot bottom To the next pot size up. Don't jump to a huge pot from a small one. Just go to the next size up pot.

Lighting:

1. These plants will grow best in bright indirect light.
2. Aloe Vera plants will not tolerate lower light, they can quickly become leggy and droop in low light conditions.
3. If this plant receives too much direct light the leaves may get sunburnt. Put your plant is a less intense light.

Watering:

1. Water Aloe plants when the soil is dry. These plants are typically drough resistant and can withstand longer periods of dryness compared to other houseplants.
2. Watering is best done by drenching the plant thoroughly. Allow the water to run through the pot and then let it drain so no water sits in the bottom drain plate.
3. Do not allow water to sit in the center of the leaves and accumulate.
4. The recommendation watering cycle is every 2-3 weeks.
5. Never let this plant get wet feet. Overwatering encourages root rot and fungus gnats.

How to Fertilize:

1. Apply a good quality fertilizer (linked in materials) diluted by 50% once or twice in the summer months. Aloe plants do not need much fertilizer.
2. Allow the plant to rest through the winter months.

Temperature:

1. The Aloe plant will do best in temperatures between 55-80 degrees F. For this reason they can grow outdoors in climate zones USDA zones 8-11.

Pests:

1. Aloe Vera plants are hardy resilient plants. However all plants can get attacked by pests.
2. Stress by longterm overwatering, poor light, extreme temperatures and soil conditions are contributors to plant stress..
3. Spider mites, mealy bugs, scale, thrips and whitefly are the most common houseplant pests you will see.
4. Read our post on How to get rid of aphids and other pests with our homemade pesticide soap recipe or neems oil.
5. To minimize the possibility of pests be sure to check all nursery plants before bringing them home.
6. Quarantine all new plants until you are sure no pests live in them.

How to Propagate by stem cutting:

1. Pull stem off the plant and let it dry for several hours to overnight.
2. Plant it in a small pot in wet cactus soil.
3. After several weeks roots will grow and settle the new plant.

How to Propagate by Offsets:

1. Aloe plants naturally grow new plants (commonly called pups) around their outer perimeter.
2. You can easily unpot your Aloe plant and pull the pups off the mother plant.
3. Repot all the pups in separate pots in cactus soil.
4. Water thoroughly. They will quickly adjust to the new pot and grow a strong root system.